Varanasi..

Varanasi, India
Originally uploaded by An Smith.

They use the river Ganges to bathe (as do the cows and buffalo), wash clothes, the sewer pours directly into it and they believe they can erase their sins by taking a dip in it. Millions of Hindu's travel to it every year on a pilgrimage and it's one of the most religiously sacred spots in India. It's believed that dying in Varanasi (the city built along the shores) is good luck and will stop the cycle of rebirth. The rivers edge is full of temples and bathing and cremation ghats and is the life, colour and activity that I"ve come to expect in India (x's ten). Varanasi, the city itself, is one of the oldest in the world and is built along the rivers edge. Walking around the tiny roads is like stepping back in time (into a maze).. so bring a map. It's easy to get lost and they don't let those pesky rickshaw drivers in (thank god...it's too narrow) - getting home after dark is a bit sketchy!

Denise and I did a 5:30am wake up for a boat ride down the river yesterday. I guess that's when there is the most activity..check the pics.. you will see what I mean! You are told not to take pictures at the cremation ghats (and yes, we saw bodies under sheets waiting to be cremated) but I'm not sure why you would want to anyway. The smell wasn't as bad as I thought it would be either. I guess we've become accustomed to bad smells in the last two months anyway.. I think the part that shocked me the most was how I felt about the womans body we saw floating in the river. She appeared to be pregnant and was caught on a fisherman boat. Kind of sad, obviously it doesn't seem a very dignified death. In India they normally cremate your body when you die, unless you are a child. I *assume* that is why she wasn't cremated.. because she was carrying a child. It mad me sad, but it didn't disturb me at all (like I thought it would... or perhaps "should" is the right word). The fact that people bathe and swim in the same spot is very strange (disgusting really)..but I felt a deeper level of respect and understanding for the religion and the culture and how serious it all is to them. Maybe that makes no sense, I can't really explain it. And I've got zero time to try because I fly out in 3 hours.. ah!